On Tuesday, October 1, Ohio Senator and Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance will face Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz in the only 2024 vice presidential debate. Our Townhall.com colleague Madeline Leesman was at a press conference with Senator Vance and he sounds pretty confident:
Vance made the remarks in a phone call with reporters about Trump’s endorsement by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Vance is scheduled to debate Walz on October 1.
“I think we’re going to focus on making sure that I make the most precise and direct appeal possible to the American people about the successful policies of Donald Trump and the failed policies of Kamala Harris,” Vance said.
“That’s really not a difficult argument to make here because we have two candidates who both have a track record of success. Donald Trump’s record is one of rising take-home pay, rising wages and a strong border, while Kamala Harris’ record is one of unaffordable food, unaffordable housing and Americans losing their jobs, many of them to illegal immigrants,” Vance added.
JD Vance is quite capable of reacting quickly, as he has demonstrated in conversations with political opponents and the mainstream media. It will be extremely entertaining to watch him take on the governor of Minnesota. And Senator Vance has already announced his main theme:
“I don’t think we need to prepare that much because we don’t need to hide our past from the American people, we just need to inform them about it,” Vance added. “You don’t need to prepare if you’re not trying to hide what you have to say.”
The senator has explained in the past why he often does not exploit a teleprompter – namely, that he has actual thoughts in his head, which cannot be said of many politicians inside and outside Washington:
Audience: “Where is your teleprompter?”
senator @JDVance: “Ma’am, I don’t need a teleprompter. I actually have thoughts in my head, unlike Kamala Harris.” pic.twitter.com/4khTHd4NSy
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) 28 August 2024
This is a key difference because even with a teleprompter, the Democratic presidential candidate is a disaster; without a teleprompter, she is a disaster when trying to speak extemporaneously.
See also: JD Vance: “An illegal action by Kamala Harris does not make a foreigner legal”
Kamala Harris’ team attacks, but JD Vance turns the tables with a wild comeback
The ability to speak off the cuff is a pretty good measure of intelligence. Donald Trump can do it, and although he is rambling and sometimes drifts into long-winded anecdotes, he always comes back to the point. JD Vance can do it, and he is more succinct and disciplined in his messages. Kamala Harris can’t do it at all, and Tim Walz isn’t much better; neither are anywhere near ready for prime time, either.
And yet we are here.
Vice presidential debates rarely do much to influence presidential elections. This year could be different. If Donald Trump and JD Vance win, Trump – as every American knows – will begin his second term as a lame duck. He cannot run again, making JD Vance the designated successor and likely frontrunner for the 2028 nomination. (But let’s take one presidential cycle at a time.)
Many viewers watching this Vice Presidential debate will be watching JD Vance to see how he fares against Tim Walz. Most believe JD Vance will do well.
